“I’m sure. And don’t worry,” Caspian said, his voice hard as steel. “I’m not letting this happen again. Whoever’s behind this is going to wish they’d stayed buried with the rest of that cartel.”
Knowing his brother’s words were probably literal, Dale inwardly cringed and snuck a peek at Sadie. Thankfully, her attention was on her cat, who was purring in her lap.
“See you in the A.M.,” Cas said before hanging up.
Dale’s mind raced with the new information. Now, maybe they’d finally get somewhere, although he wasn’t sure how, if Miguel Fernando Ortega was dead.
“At least we finally have a lead,” Cooper said, ever the optimist.
Mac nodded, setting his phone on the arm of the chair, his face unreadable. “I’ve already got Carter and Rylee digging into that cartel, and informed Hunter and Sinjin of what we could be possibly dealing with.”
Dale retrieved his phone and shot a quick text to Gabe, filling him in on everything Cas had disclosed.
Sadie touched his arm, and when he met her gaze, his chest tightened at the concern clouding her eyes. “So, what does this mean? Are we in more danger or less danger? Am I not a target? And is Cas coming here giving them what they want?”
All good questions.
He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. “It means we’re dealing with something bigger than we’d originally thought. But now that we know, we’ll adjust accordingly.”
“We’ve handled much worse,” Cooper reassured.
“Yeah.” RJ smiled. “Don’t sweat it.”
“As for you being a target, I don’t know,” he said, truthfully. “But I’m going to assume you are and not let you out of my sight.”
She nodded. “Roger that.”
Although Dale saw bravado in Sadie’s beautiful eyes, he also saw fear lurking in their depths.
As they fell silent, each lost in thought, the gravity of the situation settled over them like a dark cloud. The threat they were facing was real, and it was coming for them. But Dale knew one thing was certain—they wouldn’t back down until the danger was eliminated.
“I don’t think I should stay here,” Sadie said, her voice steady but tinged with worry. “It would be safer for everyone if I wasn’t here, in town. The last thing I want is for something to happen to the people I care about—or to the neighborhood—because of me. What if we go somewhere out of the way?”
Dale’s protective instincts kicked in, and he frowned as he considered her suggestion. “You have a point, but we don’t need to leave town completely. The ranch is isolated enough that we wouldn’t be putting anyone else at risk, and it still has the security system in place. We can control the situation better there without having to worry about neighbors.”
Mac nodded thoughtfully. “The ranch is a good idea. It’s away from populated areas, and with the security set-up Sinjin and Hunter have been reinforcing, we’d be able to monitor everything closely.”
The fact the second machete was found there didn’t concern Dale. It reinforced the safety of the ranch. Whoever left the machete at the beginning of the driveway had known they could no longer get far on the property.
“Makes sense,” Cooper agreed. “We can set up a solid perimeter at the ranch. It’s secluded, and we know the land. Anyone trying to get close will have to go through us first.”
Dean and RJ exchanged approving glances. “It’s the best option,” Dean stated. “We’ll have eyes on everything, and no one’s getting through without us knowing.”
Sadie glanced down at her cat snoozing on her lap. “Now I just need to figure out what to do about Tesla. He doesn’t like to visit other places. If I take him somewhere new, he immediately runs and hides there and it takes hours to find him.”
“He can stay home,” Mac said without hesitating. “I’m going to post Rylee here and Dex next door to keep an eye on everything, so Tesla can stay here with Rylee.”
Sadie exhaled into a smile that actually reached her eyes. “That’ll be perfect. Tesla loves Rylee.”
Dale felt a wave of relief as he looked around the room, realizing that everyone was on the same page. The ranch was the best choice—it was remote enough to avoid collateral damage, but close enough that they could still manage the situation effectively. He felt a renewed sense of determination. They weren’t just reacting anymore, they were taking control.
“All right.” He rose to his feet then turned to offer Sadie his hand. “How long will it take you to pack a bag?”
She set Tesla on the cushion Dale had just vacated then slid her hand in his. “Ten, maybe fifteen minutes,” she replied as he helped her to her feet.
“Good.” He nodded. “That’s all I need to run next door and grab my stuff.”
Mac and the others were now all standing too. “I just alerted Sinjin and Hunter of your imminent arrival. We’re heading to headquarters to gear up.” Exactly what Dale intended to do next door. “Then we’ll be back to escort you there. And we’ll cover the grounds and these two houses. You focus on staying safe, and we’ll handle the rest.”
